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Behind The Brand: Toots & Co

Emma Castles, Founder and Designer behind luxe and super practical handbags Toots + Coal ways had a passion for handbags. And, able to spot a great idea from ten yards, she knew there was a whole load of opportunities to improve nappy bag designs and style. With that, her innovative Orbit bag was born–a small bag that attaches and detaches to a larger nappy bag tote or backpack.Here,

Emma explains her path to success ..

 

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I have always just adored leather goods. I can even remember all of the detail of my very first little handbag I received in primary school. And I think when you're that passionate about something, you always have something in the back of your mind that you might turn your career towards it.

I had an idea for a bag rattling around in my mind for a long time.I just always thought I could do it better–there was a need for a better baby bag. This was long before I had children!I saw the functionality of baby bags and more importantly their appearance as the people close to me had children and I very quickly knew how I could make this better. I watched my sister-in-law navigate life with four kids and I knew a detachable bag would make life easier–one thing less to think about when you are heading out the door!

 

Can you tell us about your nappy bags? What makes them unique?

There are so many things! The most important being that a Mum that’s walked this before has thought long and hard about what would be practical, and tested and tested and tested it!

The design: They look amazing obviously! The materials have been carefully chosen to be practical and last, not just look good–I do things like splash water on our leathers to see what will happen when it rains before a swatch is even considered.

Innovative and practical:Our bags are designed to suit the many stages and facets of a women’s life. I have taken an innovative approach based on a simple concept, a clear division between items. A smaller bag-our Orbit Cross Body-houses small personal items such as wallet, phone, lipstick etc. The Orbit is then paired with a larger bag-our PinnacleTote or Everything Backpack.

How does the Orbit work? The Orbit attaches to the front seemly as a pocket which can be attached and detached as required. Together the pieces make an incredible team for any woman, but are perfect for motherhood.

 

How does the Orbit work?

The Orbit attaches to the front seemly as a pocket which can be attached and detached as required. Together the pieces make an incredible team for any woman, but are perfect for motherhood.

 

How does this innovative bag help mums in those early newborn days – when life is foggy!

In the newborn days, Mum's possessions live on the front in the Orbit, baby’s are organised inside the roomy tote in multiple pockets. The best bit? At a moments notice Mum detaches her Orbit and heads off without worrying that she has grabbed all her things like with a traditional baby bag.Because let’s face it, who hasn’t finally got to duck out the supermarket without your little one only to find you have left your wallet in your baby bag.What about working mums–is it good for them, too? Yes! Just fill the tote with your lunch, spare clothes, novel and more-detach your Orbit and you are ready to duck to meetings or lunch without dragging unnecessary things with you.

 

What else are the convertible bags great for?

The pieces are amazing for travel. I’ve personally carried the backpack all day, then dropped past the hotel detached the Orbit and carried it only out for dinner... organised in seconds with no need to swap or repack bags, meaning there is no chance that you are heading out without important things such as your wallet. They have also been designed for versatility, with a multitude of pockets in all bags, they also have a variety of ways to carry them, for example The Orbit Cross Body also have a clutch strap to take you through dinner with no need to swap bags!

Behind The Brand Toots Co 3

Behind The Brand Toots Co 4

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Are the straps changeable?

Our Totes and Backpacks can be carried by their straps, longer cross body style or hung from a pram using D rings.

 

What’s new for the business?

Lot’s of Mama’s loved the bags on their own without the detachable feature, so recently were leased a ‘Solo’ range of backpacks that can be used on their own, and also a ‘SlideCollection’ where the front pocket houses a Clutch that contains your essentials. Just more options for women to select a bag that works in with their lifestyle.

 

What is your career background?

I have an accounting degree, and utilised this work across medium sized businesses over a range of sectors, then in public practice. On reflection it’s interesting as in the sorts of rolesI had I always worked closely with senior management or the owners of the business which made for incredible learnings over the years that I didn’t really even know were happening at the time!The exposure to how and why people do business and make decisions has given me a great basis to start my own business.

 

Tell us about the design process. Was it intense?

The design process is lengthy-I design every centimetre myself.I create cardboard mockups, I get them sampled, test them and revise them until they are perfect.It’s so important to me to provide a product that’s thoughtful in its design and not rushed, it needs to be user friendly and practical, not just look good!

 

What were those early days like – managing a baby and a new business?

Hard! I had completed a course at RMIT in bag making prior to having my first baby (barely... by about 3 weeks!). Things took a backseat for almost a year while that foggy newborn phase lifted and I then threw myself into finding the correct manufacturer to bring the designs to life.In hindsight I am glad I took the time to focus on that newborn time and picked things back up when I was ready. The benefit of this is that there were a few changes in my design and added features added over this time as I navigated Mum life and saw first-hand not only what features a nappy bag should have, but more importantly as I was using several other brand, what things I knew I didn’t want because they just weren’t practical

 

Tell us about the big HIGHS and your business WINS!

We have been really lucky that we have had a few high profile people adore them!We have both Football and Cricket WAG’s that are big fans... so that definitely helped to spread the word initially. Mum’s just love that there has been so much time and thought put into the designs to make Mum life easier, on top of the fact that they look fantastic! Toot Mums that have purchased them love them!They say the most wonderful things about them, which is so fulfilling, to put so many hours and hours into a design and have someone love it is amazing! I love it when I receive emails saying ‘I’ve just received it and it’s even more beautiful in real life’ or ‘You can tell this has been designed by a mum, it’s perfect for what I need.

Shop the Toots & Co collection at One Fine Baby here.

Want to see the products up close? Come to our next Sydney baby expo or Melbourne baby expo by visiting our Sydney baby expo page here or our Melbourne baby expo page here.

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